Steering-wheel lock



May 26; 1925.

- A. R. LAMBERT STEERING WHEEL LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 1921 May 26, 1925.

1,539,495 A. LAMBERT STEERING WHEEL LOCK Filed July 8, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented May 26, 1925.

' UNITED STATES ALVAN n. LAMBERT, or ANDERSON, INDIANA.

STEERING-WHEEL LOCK.

Application filed July 8,

To all 107mm it'may concern:

Be it known that I, ALvAN R. LAMBERT, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Anderson, county of Madison, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering-WVheel Locks, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

This invention has relation to that type of automobile locks in which the steeringwheel is rendered inoperative by disconnecting it from the steering-shaft to thus allow it to rotate thereon, and it consists of certain novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, the invention having for its special object the provision of a'simple locking device that may be substituted for the usual nut-cap screwed onto the extreme upper end of the steeringshaft and serving to restrict the upward movement of the steering-wheel.

In the drawings-- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a steering-head provided with my invention;

Figs. 2 and 8 are sectional views taken respectively in a vertical and a horizontal plane through the locking device;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the locking device;

Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical sectional views of a modified form of my device;

Fig. 7 is a top elevation of said modification.

In the drawings annexed, 5 designates the usual steering-shaft; 6, the usual sta tionary casing surrounding the same; 7 the usual. steering-wheel rotatively mounted on the upper end of the shaft 5 and resting on the upper end of the casing 6, the hub of this wheel and the adjacent part of the shaft 5 being provided with vertical, com panion key-ways adapted to register with each other so as to receive a key-rod 8 mounted in a lock-casing consisting of horizontal cylinder 9 having a depending threaded nipple 10 adapted to screw onto the upstanding threaded stem 11 of the steering-shaft.

The lock-casing is locked on the threaded stem by means of a set-screw 12 screwed diagonally through the wall of the casing and having its inner end firmly buried in the threaded stem 11. The outer end of the set screw terminates below the outer surface of the lock-casing so as not to be accessible by means of a wrenchor screw-driver or other 1921. Serial No. 483,199.

tool, thereby rendering the removal of the lock-casing .a special sho "operation. I

prefer using a set-screw w ich has a weakened part at the proper distance from its lnner end, so that, after the inner end bites into the threaded stem to a sufficient depth, the further turning of the screw will be rendered so hard as to cause the screw to break off at said weakened point; and as this weakened point is below the outer surface of the lock-casing, it will be seen that the set-screw is entirely buried within the lockcasing and, therefore, as intimated above, cannot be removed without special tools. It will therefore beseen that this lock-casing will be practically impossible'of removal by an evil-disposed person unless he has ample time and a good opportunity to perform a rather arduous shop operation The face-plate of the lock is indicated at 13 and its barrel at 14, this barrel containing the usual tumblers and being enclosed in the horizontal cylinder 9 of the lock-casing. The lock is held in place by a pair of bolts 15 which extend in through a cap 16 covering the opposite end of the cylinder 9, the

inner ends of the bolts being threaded into lugs on the lock-barrel 14. On the inner end of the usual shaft of the lock is a pinion 18 which meshes into a rack-bar formed on the key-rod 8, said key being guided vertically in the lock-casing in any suitable manner. It will be observed that by means of the usual key, the pinion may be rotated in either direction to raise or lower the keyrod 8, and that when said rod 8 is projected downwardly into the key-ways of the shaft and the wheel, the wheel will be locked to the shaft and the vehicle may be consequent 1y guided. On the other hand, when the loek-rod 8 is up, the steering-wheel is free to rotate on the steering-shaft, thus rendering it impossible to steer the vehicle by means of the steering-wheel.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I show a modified form of my device, in which I use a worm-gear 19 instead of the pinion 18, this gear meshing with properly-shaped teeth onthe lockrod 8. This form of the device is especially adapted for a device in which the cylinder 9 is vertical, this arrangement of the cylinder being perhaps more desirable on account of appearance. In this type of device, the face-plate 13 will, of course, be on top of the cylinder and will face upwardly.

The nature and scope of the invention ICU having been t-hus indicated and its preferred embodiment having been specifically de scribed, what is claimed as new is:

The combination wlth a steer ng-shaft having a threaded projection on its" upper end and a hand-whee1 loosely mounted said key-operated mechanism having a gearwheel secured thereto in alinement with said steering-shaft, and a lock-bar nio'unted also in said lock-casing and guided therein for vertical inov ement and provided at one end with t'e'e'tli to engage said gear-wheel and having its other end constructed to form a bolt adapted to enter said registering key- Ways tolock the steering-wheel to the steering-shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. ALVAN R. LAMBERT. 

